Blindboy fans turn Limerick's ‘Birdshit District’ into unlikely tourist destination

Blindboy’s nickname for Bedford Row has turned a starling roost — and its messy pavements — into an offbeat Limerick tourist attraction

Blindboy Boatclub came up with the ‘Birdshit District’ nickname for Limerick’s Bedford Row saying he is fascinated by the huge volume of starlings that flies overhead -  despite the 'sheer volume of starling shit' they leave behind. Picture: Kieran Ryan-Benson

A bird poo-hit area of Limerick, nicknamed 'Birdshit District', has become an unlikely tourist destination for fans of the artist who coined the phrase. 

Blindboy Boatclub came up with the ‘Birdshit District’ nickname for Limerick’s Bedford Row, an area he frequently walks around as he seeks inspiration. The artist and writer says he is fascinated by the huge volume of starlings that flies overhead -  despite the “sheer volume of starling shit” they leave behind.

“Around sundown the whole flock gathers, and you’ll see them swirling in tight, synchronised shapes above the Shannon. People stop on the bridge just to take it in. It’s one of the most striking natural displays in the city, like a free aerial ballet put on every night. 

"They’re doing it for survival — it’s a way of confusing predators like hawks — but in Limerick today it feels more like public art than animal behaviour,” Blindboy told the Irish Examiner.

Trying to understand why the starlings flocked to this particular area of Limerick, he wondered what was there before the city was built. And after a “fierce amount” of research, he got the answer.

“What fascinates me is the way they connect the modern city to what was there before. Bedford Row sits on what used to be a riparian forest, a floodplain woodland along the Shannon. 

A thousand years ago those starlings were roosting in willow and alder trees, and their droppings fertilised the soil and were carried by floods into the wetlands, fuelling plant growth and insect life. The same behaviour continues today, but instead of enriching the ecosystem, the guano builds up on granite paving. 

"To me they’re like a living memory of the river’s ecology, reminding us that Limerick is built on what was once a spongey, flooded landscape,” he said.

According to Blindboy, starlings roosting in trees are essential to the ecosystem - and their droppings are essentially a “powerful fertiliser”. He believes Bedford Row could perhaps be re-imagined as a “sponge street” where droppings are filtered, composted, and recycled into the city’s planters.

“It isn’t lunacy, it’s simply recovering an ecological logic we’ve forgotten. Other gaffs are already doing this. China’s sponge city programme is after turning stormwater and flood risk into an urban asset. 

Blindboy: 'I’d like for the city to have a seasonal 'Birdshit festival', timed to the late-summer roosting peak of the Bedford Row starling.' File picture: Brian Arthur

"In Singapore they convert sterile concrete canals into biodiverse parklands. Berlin allowed the abandoned Tempelhofer Feld airfield to rewild as urban grassland for rare bird and insect species. 

"What seems mad here is only because we’ve normalised the idea that a city must push nature out, rather than work with it. Once you shift that perspective, the starlings stop being a nuisance and become what they always were: part of the Shannon’s ecology, reminding us of where and how Limerick was built,” he said.

Every day, the starlings flock to a dozen of trees on Bedford Row.

“They do their evening shits, and instead of it fertilising the soil, it sticks to the pavement and becomes slippy. We built our city on their ancient habitat, and there's no talking to them about it.” 

And now fans who listen to Blindboy's podcast have been following his recommendations on which spots to visit in the Treaty City - and many have stopped at Bedford Row, tagging him on social media with their pictures of “Birdshit District”. 

Indeed, some fans travel to the city just to visit Birdshit District. Alf Halloran came all the way from Yorkshire after watching Blindboy’s Instagram stories.

Some Blindboy fans have travelled to Limerick City just to visit 'Birdshit District' and the murals. Photo: Limerick County Council

“We visited Limerick just to see the Birdshit District and get a photo of the mural. We thought the mural was really cool, but we also just really liked the silliness of the whole situation, even seeing the council out cleaning it was funny knowing the backstory from the podcasts."

“We weren’t the only people taking photos of the starlings and the mural, it was a pretty popular attraction. We also visited Thomond Bridge, and the Terry Wogan statue and had lunch at a place called Shake Dog all because of the podcast,” Mr Halloran told the Irish Examiner.

Another visitor and “big Blindboy fan”, Jill Lyons, also made a stop on her way to a concert in the Docklands.

“Honestly I think Limerick is a lovely city. We always opt to go there to gigs rather than Dublin even though we are in Offaly.

“The street looks nice enough, but we did see lots of droppings, but only around the trees. It’s still a nice place to wander around, but I can see how it’s not ideal for people who walk and cycle there regularly, and early in the morning,” she said.

Linus Küng from Bern, Switzerland, made a stop by the 'Birdshit District' on his way to the Féile Na Gréine DIY festival in Limerick.

According to another UK visitor, Blindboy should be recognised as a local treasure, one “bringing economy to the city”.

“He’s a storyteller and is always very detailed and descriptive of the area to a point you can picture it. This area has now become a staple pilgrimage landlord for Blindboy listeners. My friend and I specifically went to visit this area because of his stories and the fascinating behaviour of the birds murmuration display,” said Hayley Brown.

Last week, Limerick City and County Council posted a video online announcing that the area would be cleaned five times a week in a bid to keep on top of the droppings - a move welcomed in the city.

A spokesperson said: “The reaction has been very positive to the early morning sweeping and power washing regime and Bedford Row and Lower Thomas Street now look very fresh and well presented. The council continues to liaise with businesses on these streets to hear their views and concerns.” 

The spokesperson said the council has not interfered in any way with the roostings by the starlings. “Starlings are migratory by nature and there is some evidence that the number of birds roosting in the city centre has been easing slightly,” they said.

Asked whether the council would advertise Bedford Row as a tourism spot where visitors can observe the birds seasonally, they said the council “is not planning to advertise this matter”.

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“The murmuration of starlings in the darkening skies of the late summer evenings is very beautiful whether in a city or in the countryside. There has been much public and media interest in the roosting of the starlings in Limerick City centre over the past number of weeks,” said the spokesperson.

Blindboy says the council should capitalise on the interest.

“I’d like for the city to have a seasonal 'Birdshit festival', timed to the late-summer roosting peak of the Bedford Row starlings,” he said.

“I'm not an expert, I'm a writer and an artist. I'm also autistic, but sometimes it requires divergent and unconventional thinking to inspire rigorous, evidence-based solutions from the experts,” he said.